Flying boat



G. LOENiNG June 23, 1931.

FLYING BOAT 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 26, 1930 G. LOENING FLYING BOAT Jurie 23, 1931.

Filed June 26, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 im 11v VENTOR 1: Y

ATTORNEY June 23, 1931. G. LOENING 1,811,550

FLYING BOAT Filed June 26, 1930' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 1n 7 ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED *STATES GROVER Loan-me, orrnnw trunk,- n.

FLYING BeQT Application filed June 26,

The invention is an improved monoplane flying boat or amphibian, wherein there is an engine mount rising from the hull to support an inverted engine, thisengine mount 5 being above the wing and being utilized for top bracing of the wing. The upwardly extending members of the engine mount carry longitudinal engine bearers at the top, and

these bearers are of sufficient length fore and U aft to enable cross braces or ties to pass 111 front of and in rear of the engine, thus surrounding the inverted engine in a cage of framework which is completely braced in all directions.

wires being connected to. said cross-ties so j that this wing bracing is carried directly across the engine mount. Advantages of this construction are its simplicity, low center of gravity, and the effectiveness of the bracing system in which members serve in common for the continuous and mutual cross-bracing of the engine mount and of the wing.

In the accompanying drawings, forming 555 part hereof r Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an amphibian flying-boat embodyingthe invention; V Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan v ew; Fig. 3is a frontelevati on, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view;

Fig. 5 is a similar View, with the housing and upon the longitudinal bearers 6 at its top is supported an inverted engine 7, lts

cylinders in line and extending downward within the mounting. The propeller 8 is preferably placed behind the mounting.

This cross-bracing forms part 15 of the top bracing of the Wing, the wing stay struts, braces and tension wires/as shown,

fittings; is... an. v H

The engine and its mounting are enclosed in a streamline housing 9, secured to or formingpart of the mounting and connecting with the top covering of the hull, lnwill be ob served thatthemountin and the housing may be 'ektreme'ly narrow at the base, and from thence upward, as contrasted with the width 10f the hull. The effect is that of a fin,

only slightly wider than the in-line 'eng'iiie,

rising. from thetop of the magma in nan the sides of the'latter and from matin 1 The inds of cross-bolt 10 at the top of" Tie temimounting are allowed; to projectflto take iittin'g's 11, from which'fwiies 12 (or struts if desired) 'ettend outward and downward toth'e wings. Z Thi1s,the engine mounting constitutes the upright for the top bracing of the wings, and the cross bracing of the engine bed serves as part of the wing bracing. The cross-tie 10 connects the forward ends of the engine-bearers 6 in front of the engine and a similar crossmember 21 connects the rearwardly projecting ends of said bearers, behind the engine.

With an engine of the air-cooled type, as

shown, it is sufficient for effective cooling, to

provide suitable openings in the'housing and to dispose some simple baffles in the interior, the arrangement being preferably such that the 'air enters principally toward one side of the front through opening 13, is deflected by the bafiiles 14 toward the other side, and leaves by louvres 15 along this side and by an open ing 16 at the rear catercornered to the opening 13.. A horizontal plate 17 is introduced to form the bottom of-the air passage. An f additional opening 18 in front admits airdi rectly to the heads of the inverted cylinders,

and another opening 19 is provided for the air intake to the carbureter 20. i Attention is called to the following features of this monoplane flying-boat; the'combination of continuous housing for'reduction of head resistance-and forjdesirable fin area, with inverted-in-line .motor; the manner in which the structure is utilized in the top bracing of the wing, with one or more crossconnecting members serving as cross-braces for the engine bed, as well as to carry wire I or strut loads; the motor mount and housing adjacent to and only slightly wider than the engine, with the general shape vertical to the top of the hull, giving a narrow section to reduce impeding air flow at the tip of the 5 propeller; the narrow in-line engine with the thrust at the top of the streamline housing not only reducing head resistance but lowering the center of gravity and interfering the least with smooth air flow to the propeller, resulting in materially better propeller efliciency; the cowling used serving eifectively. as a channel for directing air flow in the most eflicient manner to cool the engine, air ducts ordinarily used on air-cooled engines being in this case supplied by the sides of the structure itself. I claim: In a monoplane flying-boat, the combination of an engine mount above the Wing, comprising members rising from the hull, longitudinal engine-bearers carried by said members, an inverted engine Within the mount supported on said bearers, said engine-bearers extending beyond the ends of the engine, top cross-bracing for the engine mount comprising cross-members connecting said bearers in front and rear of the engine, and top stays for the Wings connected to said crossbracing and carried thereby directly across the top of the engine mount.

GROVER LOENING. 

